Key for locks



S. PELLE KEY FOR LOCKS May 22, 1934.

Filed March 26, 1932 a P lle, yf /Y BY i5 ATroRNEY.

Patented May 22, 1934 nutren smrss PATENT GFFQE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to keys for combination locks and has for its main object to provide a device of this character which may be operated by a particular form of a key, the combination 5 which opens the lock being xed in the key and which key will be adapted to be applied on a pencil, fountain pen, or the like, said lock in such cases preferably being employed on a brief case, school bag, etc. and so' providing an interesting lock and key for the children.

Still further objects of this invention will be apparent as the specification of the same proceeds and among others may be mentioned to provide novel means whereby the combination of the lock and key may be easily changed and whereby an extremely large number of combinations may be produced by very simple means.

In the drawing, forming a part of this specification and accompanying the same:

Fig. l is an enlarged fragmentary cross section through the upper central portion of a bag and a lock therein, to which my key may be applied.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged plan view of the same portion of the bag;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the said lock, the section being taken on line 3-3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary partly sectional side elevation of the operative end of my key to be used with this lock;

iication of the disks to be used in my key construction;

Fig. 6 is a partly sectional side elevation of the modiicaton of my assembled key indicated in Fig. 5, as applied to a fountain pen, parts of said pen being broken away.

Referring now to the drawing more closely, by characters of reference, the numeral 30 indicates an object to which my lock is applied, in this case it being a brief case, or a school bag, having a body proper 3l with an upper wall 32 and a closing flap 33 overlapping the top portion of said front or cover wall 32. A lock is housed in a casing 34 secured to 'the upper portion of the front wall 32,

preferably inwardly thereof, as by the rivets 35.

Circular wheel shaped tumblers 36, 37, and 36 are simply placed on top of each other in said casing in slidable contact with one another and with the outer circular Wall 39 of the casing so -that they may easily rotate within said casing relative to one another and without Vbeing centrally displaced.

I prefer to provide said tumblers with a hub 40 and spokes 41 stamped out of one piece of sheet metal and with a circumferential rim 42 made Fig. 5 is an enlarged section showing a modi.

out of a strip of resilient metal and having a plurality of holes therein. Each spoke is provided. with a pin 44 at its outer end, said pins fitting into said holes, and the two ends of the strip of metal are bent inwardly and then transversely so as to form the recess or indentation 47 in the respective portion of the rim, 'their overlapping transverse ends being secured together, as at 48.

Each hub 46 has a hole or recess 49 provided therein, and said wheels or tumblers are made 5 in such a manner that the smallest hole or recess 49 is provided in the lowerrnost thereof and said holes or central recesses 49 are gradually increasing in the middle and upper one of said tumblers. Upstanding pins or projections 50, 0 5l, and 52 are also provided in the hubs of the various tumblers, said pins being variously placed in the tuniblers and on gradually increasing circles from the bottom towards the top of my lock.

A cover or top plate 53 is also provided for the 75 lock and said tumblers are closely though rotatably conned between the side wall 39, the top plate 53 and the bottom plate 54 of the housing, and a central cylindrical upwardly projecting key hole and guide 55 may also be arranged in said 80 top plate 53.

Figs. 1 to 4 show my lock in open position, and in such a position the recesses 47 in the various tumblers are turned into positions facing a locking bolt 56, the lower enlarged end 57 of which may rest in said recesses 47, while the upper narrower portions, the bolt proper 58 thereof, may play through an appropriate hole in an extension 39a in the upper side of the housing 34.

A hook device or hasp 59 may be secured on the flap 33, as at 60, and projecting through an eyelet 6l in the upper part of the top wall 32 of the bag. A spring 62 is arranged between the upper part of the extension 39a of the housing 34 and the enlarged portion 56 of the bolt 57, normally tending to press the bolt 58 rearwardly into the housing 34, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4. A key 63 may be used to open or lock my device, said key preferably having a tubular body 64 and combination disks 65 threaded on a bolt 66 pro- 100 jecting through the closed top 67 of the tube and being secured thereon by the nuts 68 within the same. `Washers 69 may be interposed between said combination disks, if necessary. Each key disk has an upstanding pin or projection '70, and before securing said combination disks together, as,Y for instance, by the slotted bolt head 71, and the nuts 68, said projections 70 will be arranged according to a predetermined order corresponding to the arrangement of the projections on the hubs of the tumblers, as will be explained hereinafter.

The tubular key may be formed into a fountain pen or pencil cap and carried on and used as applied to such devices, as shown in Fig. 6.

The operation of my lock is as follows:

Normally the lock is in a closed position and the tumblers 36 to 38 are turned in such a way that their rounded circular portions are engaging the rounded inner end 72 of the enlarged bolt head 57, pushing the bolt proper 58 into engagement with a hook or hasp 59` and thereby locking the device. If it is now desired to open the same, key 63 will be inserted into a guide cylinder and turned therein in a clockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow 73 in Fig. 3. The pins 70 on the key will gradually engage the pins 50 to 52 on the tumblers, since said key pins are in the same depths and on the same radii as the pins on the tumbler-s and the arrangements of said tumbler pins 56 to 52 relative to the respective recesses 47 in the rims of said tumblers are such that when the three pins 56 to 52 are in a relative position to one another corresponding to the fixed relative position of the pins 70 on the key 63, then all the three recesses 47 will be in a uniform meeting position, so that when the three tumblers are turned around in such a position at a certain moment of their rotation all the three recesses 47 will be simultaneously facing the enlarged lower end 57 of the bolt 58 and permit the same to enter them under the influence of the spring 62, thereby withdrawing the bolt proper 58 from the hook or hasp 59 and unlocking the device.

When it is desired to again lock the device, al1 that is needed to be done is to insert the key into the lock and turn it to any desired degree in the direction of arrow 73 when the camlike left walls 47a of the recesses 47 will gradually push the bolt 57 outwardly into a locking position.

It will be obvious that once this device will be in a locked position, it cannot be opened except by a key having the combination thereof, while, of course, it may be locked by independently rotating any or all of the tumblers since even one of them will be adapted to push the bolt 56 out of the recesses 47.

A tool or device may be provided to measure and register the positions of the pins 50 and 52 on the tumblers in a certain lock with the recesses 47 opposite to the bolt 57, and the pins 70 on the key disks may be set by the same templet or tool before iixing them. The pins 50 and 70, respectively, may be made in any suitable .mannen and I prefer to stamp them out of the material of the tumblers and key disks themselves for the sake of simplicity and to reduce the cost of manufacture.

In order to protect clothing, etc. from the effects of exposed key pins and the key pins themselves, I may employ the improved form 73a for the key disks shown in Figs. 5 and 6. In this embodiment of said key disks, depressions or channels are provided in their circumferential edge and the pins 70 are struck out from the material of said channels and are hidden and protected therein, as shown.

Changes and variations may be made in the construction of the parts within the limits of the claims without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new, is:

1. For a lock as characterized hereinbefore, a key comprising a tubular member open at one end and closed at the other, having an aperture in said closed end; a bolt passing through said aperture and having a head at the outer end thereof while the inner end of the bolt is arranged within said member adjacent to said closed end; a plun rality of disks releasably and adjustably mounted on said bolt outside of said closed end, each disk having aV pin projecting therefrom towards said head of the bolt, and releasable means within said member in engagement with the inner end of said bolt to press said disks between said head and the closed end of the tubular member to prevent their rotation after they have been set to a desired relative position of the pins.

2. For a lock as characterized hereinbefore, a key comprising a tubular member open at one end and closed at the other, having an aperture in said closed end; a bolt passing through said aperture and having a head at the outer end thereof, a plurality of disks releasably and adjustably mounted on said bolt outside of said closed end, each disk having a pin projecting therefrom towards said head of the bolt, and releasable means to press said disks between said head and the closed end of the tubular member to prevent their rotation after they have been set to a desired relative position of the pins, each of said disks having a channel shaped depression around its marginal edge, and said pins being arranged in said channels.

3. In a key for locks, having a supporting member and adjustable key discs with projecting pins secured at the end of said member, a channel shaped depression around the marginal edge of each disc, said pins being arranged in said channel.

4. In a key for locks, having a supporting member and adjustable key discs with projecting pins secured at the end of said member, said supporting member being tubular and said discs having releasable securing means confinedto said end of said member, leaving free the greater portion of the space within said member.

STEPHEN PELLE. 

